Legacy of the Sword Saint
by longkang
Summary: Of all the Rave Master fics I've seen, not many of them has mention of the first Rave Master, the legendary Sword Saint Shiba. Well, this is his story. Please R&R, thanks! Chapter 2 is up.
1. Chapter 1

Legacy of the Sword Saint - Chapter 1

He looked down on the island from his vantage point in the sky. It was not hard for the world's premiere magician to stay adrift in the sky. It was a cloudy night, which suited him well. He wanted no witnesses. What he was going to do tonight would practically change the world.

"Rareglove will rule. Nothing shall stand in my way," he said to himself, an eerie grin spreading across his face.

He looked up once again. It was not yet time. Soon. He had waited for years for this day. A few more minutes would not hurt. His auguries of the future had pointed to this day. Thin, emaciated fingers wove around the air, renewing his flying spell.

It all started when he was envisioning the world in the hands of his Rareglove Empire. A chance thought had developed into something more. It began an obsession. It occupied his mind and he eventually turned to the forbidden magics. Then the stone came to him. It simply appeared next to him one morning. As soon as he touched it, he felt the tinge of dark power. It permeated him to his very core and whispered promises to him. Promises of more power and conquest.

With power, he also gained understanding. No country would submit to him willingly. And so, with his magic, he tried to foresee the future. It was erratic and not totally accurate, but he gained some insight. There were just too many possibilities. In the end, after many hours of work, the revelation came to him. It was not totally clear, but one man would stand in his way. If this person came to be, he would be a major stumbling block in his plan to conquer the world.

Again he used his magic, trying to determine who this person was. Devoting his every hour, he cast his auguries again and again. The image of an island came to him. It was but an instant, but in that instant he knew where it was. He had to stop the birth of this individual.

Sensing that the time was near, he gathered his power. Focusing his magic, he scanned the island, trying to detect the birth of the one who would shape destiny. Patiently, he waited.

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Tetsuya paced back and forth nervously. His wife was in labour and there was absolutely nothing that he could do.

"Sit down and relax, man. Everything will be fine."

Tetsuya turned to his best friend, Kenma, sitting on the couch. Kenma's wife had just given birth a few days earlier and he was extremely proud of his young son who he named Boton.

"How can I relax, Kenma? Misa's giving birth right now!" Tetsuya said, frantically gesturing to his bedroom.

The wail of a baby cut through the air. Both men turned to the direction of the room where Misa was giving birth.

The midwife came out of the room with a smile from ear to ear. "Congratulations, Tetsuya! Your wife has just given birth to a healthy baby boy!" With that proclamation, she left.

Tetsuya gave a shout and rushed into the room. Kenma just sat down and smiled. He knew the feeling.

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He felt a ripple. Felt the energy shift. It was time.

Concentrating, he brought his arms out wide, chanting as he did so. Moving them around, his chanting increased. He felt the power. He felt his magic as it embraced him. Slowly, he gathered more power to himself. His chanting increased in crescendo. Power filled him to the limit, nearly exploding.

"Feel the punishment of the forbidden magic! Comet apocalypse!"

With that shout, he stretched his arm toward the house.

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In the depths of space, an asteroid was pulled out of its orbit. Accelerating in motion, it sped towards the planet, gathering in speed as it did so. It would strike fiery death to whatever was in its destination. Nearing the planet, it was pulled in by the gravity pull of the planet. Bits and pieces of the asteroid were being pulled apart as the atmospheric entry worked its grip upon the asteroid. Entering the stratosphere, it accelerated in speed.

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He was exhausted. Pulling that comet from space had taken much of his power. He had to be very selective of the comet's size as well. He did not want to destroy the whole island. A large comet which destroyed the whole island might be viewed with suspicion. There were just so many people who were as powerful as him in magic. A small comet which destroyed a small house would be seen as a random, yet unfortunate occurrence.

He turned his head. He could see the comet now. He watched with fascination as the comet crashed into the house, destroying half the structure. He could see the flames devouring all the wood. Satisfied that his job was done, he took his leave. The threat was gone.

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"What was that sound?" Tetsuya asked. He turned his head around, trying to discern where the noise was coming from.

It sounded like someone whistling. As they listened on, it became louder in both pitch and intensity. They stared at each other, dumfounded. For Kenma, the next few moments were like something from a sci-fi movie. Something crashed into the house, causing him to be knocked away by the force of the impact. Something broke his fall and he was surprised that he could see the night sky. Whatever object that crashed through the house was apparently large enough to cause a lot of destruction. He saw flames around him.

"Kenma!"

Stunned, Kenma did not reply immediately.

"Kenma!" the voice shouted again, louder this time.

"I'm OK...," Kenma replied, picking himself off the ground. He saw that he was not seriously injured. "We have to get out of here, Tetsuya!"

Tetsuya shook his head, looking up. He was bleeding from a dozen wounds. A flaming beam crashed down, narrowly missing him.

"There's not enough time to get Misa out. She's too weak from childbirth. She can't move."

"We have to try!" Kenma shouted, making sure his voice was heard over the flame.

"I will not leave her, Kenma! Take baby Shiba and go!" Tetsuya said, his voice filled with grief, as he passed the baby to Kenma.

"But..."

"Just go!" Tetsuya shouted, kneeling down by his wife on the bed. Kenma saw that there were tears in his eyes.

His own eyes tearing, and not from the flame, Kenma solemnly gave his word to Tetsuya that he would raise Shiba like his own son. With a last glance, Kenma hugged baby Shiba tightly to his chest and ran.

Tetsuya held Misa's hands in his own. Gazing into each other's eyes, the flames enveloped them.

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Disclaimer: Groove Adventure Rave and all its characters are not my property. I do not own them. They belong to their respective creators.


	2. Chapter 2

Legacy of the Sword Saint – chapter 2

Beads of sweat ran down his face. Panting slightly, Shiba went into a defensive half crouch, knees slightly bent, sword hand pointing toward his opponent, dagger hand to the side. His opponent came at him with a lunge. Parrying with his dagger, he quickly riposted with his sword, only to be met by a shield. His mind ran through a few scenarios. Deciding on the best one, he took a quick step back, he was surprised to see the shield in front of his face.

_Oh crap._

Knowing that he was at the receiving end of a shieldbash and that he could not do anything to avoid it, he accepted the hit, flying back. Purely by instinct, he flipped his dagger, holding the knife point in between his fingers and threw it at his opponent, forcing him to duck to avoid it. The maneuver bought him precious seconds, enough time for him to get to his feet. If he had been rushed at while he was still on the ground, the fight would have been over. Holding his sword in a two-handed grip now, he charged at his opponent with a vicious diagonal chop.

Predictably, the shield blocked his advance and Shiba had to avoid the sword that flashed out from the side. Shiba then released one hand from the sword as he did a backhand slice, aiming high. Following through with the movement, he did a spin, and used both hands for a powerful slice toward the middle. Both strikes were blocked by the shield, his opponent quick enough to spot the two linked attacks.

_Damn that shield!_

Not wanting to give his opponent any advantage, Shiba pressed on with a series of routines, searching for a way to pierce his opponent's superior defense. The shield was large, allowing lots of coverage. Thinking quickly, Shiba found a flaw in his opponent's superior defense. Quickly he did a series of strikes, all aiming high. Sword and shield came up to parry. He feinted with his next strike, and up came the shield to block. Shiba immediately dropped down to the side, low to the ground. Twisting his body, he did a leg sweep, aiming his heel to the back of his opponent's knee. He fell with a grunt and Shiba quickly capitalized, pointing his sword at his opponent's throat.

"That's enough. Good job."

Shiba turned his head toward the voice. Nodding, he held out a hand to help his opponent, Boton, up.

Kenma walked over to the two of them. "Now, what have the both of you learnt?" he asked.

"The shield is not just for defensive purposes. It can be used as a weapon as well," Shiba immediately answered. "I was not expecting that shield strike."

"Good. What about you, Boton?" Kenma said.

Boton thought for a few moments, then answered. "I was too reliant on the shield. In the end, I was too predictable and allowed Shiba to defeat me. Also, the shield eventually hindered my sight, which I think Shiba used against me too."

Shiba nodded, agreeing. A large shield could protect, yet hinder at the same time.

Kenma smiled. "Very good. I have a few comments, though."

He pointed to the dagger that Shiba had thrown. "Even while being knocked back, Shiba managed to throw his dagger and prevent any advantage. He bought himself time to get back on his feet. That was excellent improvisation and instinct."

Shiba and Boton both nodded. Noticing their agreement, Kenma continued on.

"Boton, try practicing without a shield and hold your sword in a two handed grip next time. Your strikes were not powerful enough. That concludes today's lesson."

Shiba slapped Boton across the back with a grin. "That was a good fight, eh?"

Boton grinned back. "Someday I'll beat you, Shiba. Just you wait."

It was no secret that Shiba was one of the best fighters on Garage Island. He had the natural talent and the killing instinct to back him up. Now a young man of 18, Shiba had mastered almost every weapon and style that Kenma had taught him. Also blessed with ambidexterity, Shiba was currently working on a dual weapon style, focusing on speed with swift, precise strokes.

As Kenma watched his son and Shiba walk away to take a well deserved rest, he wondered about Shiba. That young man had talent enough to be one of the best in the world. However, Kenma sensed that there was something hindering Shiba's true potential. Kenma acknowledged that Shiba was one of his finest students ever, maybe even surpassing himself. However, he had a nagging doubt that something was wrong with Shiba somewhere, and that something would not allow him to achieve his true potential as a swordsman.

"Shiba! Boton!"

The two of them turned to look at the girl waving cheerfully at them. At the sight of her, Boton's expression changed immediately. Shiba, who noticed the change, smirked mischievously. Boton was totally smitten with Yuri. He also had the unfortunate ability to become totally tongue-tied when she was around.

"Hello, Yuri," Shiba said, driving his elbow into Boton's ribs.

"Um... I..." was all that Boton could stammer out.

Yuri was another one of their childhood friends. Or rather, the only one. The population of garage island had always been small, so there were not many people of their age around. The three of them, being the same age, were fast friends.

"I have absolutely no idea why father just refuses to let me learn swordplay! It's ridiculous! Teach me a few things, won't you?" Yuri rambled, using her winning smile to work on Boton, who could not resist.

"Boton would be VERY happy to teach you a few tricks, right, won't you, Boton?" Shiba answered before Boton could react.

"Really? That's so nice of you, Boton. What about now? Come on, let's go!" Yuri quickly linked her arm with Boton and dragged him away, chattering excitedly.

Shiba simply shook his head as he watched with amusement.

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Author's notes: Well, the second chapter took some time. Anyway, please R & R, thanks!


End file.
